Key Points
- EVP Steven Sear sold 31,290 shares at an average $69.69 for a total of $2,180,600.10, cutting his holding by 24.29% to 97,505 shares (≈$6.8M).
- Broad insider selling—including CEO Edward Bastian and several other EVPs on Jan 14–15—represents material reductions that could pressure sentiment despite possible diversification or tax motives.
- Mixed Q4 results and cautious guidance: Q4 EPS of $1.55 slightly beat estimates while revenue missed ($14.61B vs. $15.8B); management set Q1 2026 guidance of $0.50–0.90 and FY2026 of $6.50–7.50, yet analysts largely rate the stock a "Buy" with a ~\$80 consensus target.
Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) insider Peter Carter sold 14,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.30, for a total value of $1,005,290.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 177,142 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,453,082.60. This trade represents a 7.47% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
Delta Air Lines Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:DAL opened at $70.50 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $66.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $60.76. Delta Air Lines, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $34.74 and a fifty-two week high of $73.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.60, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.34.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 13th. The transportation company reported $1.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by $0.02. Delta Air Lines had a return on equity of 20.99% and a net margin of 7.90%.The company had revenue of $14.61 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $15.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Delta Air Lines has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.900 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 6.500-7.500 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Delta Air Lines, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Delta Air Lines News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Delta Air Lines this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Multiple major brokers raised price targets and maintained constructive ratings on DAL, signaling upward analyst conviction (HSBC to $80.20, Wolfe Research to $83, Goldman Sachs to $80, DBS to $80). These upgrades imply ~12–16% upside from recent levels and support medium‑term upside. HSBC Raises PT Wolfe Research Goldman Sachs
- Positive Sentiment: Analysts emphasize Delta’s strong cash flow, low leverage and resilient premium (MRO and high‑end traveler demand) as reasons the shares remain a buy despite near‑term caution. Benzinga: Caution Hides Opportunity
- Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: EPS modestly beat while revenue missed and management gave a cautious tone on 2026 (guidance range highlighted). Investors are parsing whether the guidance conservatism is prudent or indicates weaker demand trends — a near‑term volatility driver. Earnings Call Transcript
- Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and research pieces (Zacks, MarketBeat) highlight Delta as a momentum/value play for longer‑term investors while flagging short‑term sensitivity to guidance and macro data. Zacks Momentum
- Negative Sentiment: Significant insider selling: CEO Edward Bastian sold ~173,230 shares (~21% cut to his holding) at ~$71 (SEC filing), and several EVPs (Rahul Samant, Steven Sear, Alain Bellemare, Peter Carter) also sold large blocks over Jan 14–15, reducing their positions materially. Large insider dispositions can pressure sentiment and add selling pressure even if driven by diversification or tax planning. CEO Sale SEC EVP Samant SEC
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Delta Air Lines
A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 84.0% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 181,995 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $8,951,000 after purchasing an additional 83,072 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Delta Air Lines by 39.8% during the second quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 2,407,585 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $118,409,000 after buying an additional 685,312 shares during the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Delta Air Lines by 8.8% in the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 825,916 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $40,619,000 after buying an additional 67,002 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the second quarter valued at approximately $15,138,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Delta Air Lines in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,141,000. Institutional investors own 69.93% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently commented on DAL. Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating and issued a $80.00 target price on shares of Delta Air Lines in a report on Friday, December 19th. TD Cowen raised their price target on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $82.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Delta Air Lines from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Dbs Bank increased their target price on Delta Air Lines from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Delta Air Lines from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and twenty-three have given a Buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $79.97.
View Our Latest Research Report on DAL
Delta Air Lines Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
Delta Air Lines is a major U.S.-based global airline that provides scheduled passenger and cargo air transportation, aircraft maintenance and repair services, and related travel products. Its operations include mainline domestic and international passenger services, a branded regional network operating under the Delta Connection name, dedicated air cargo carriage, and in-house maintenance, repair and overhaul through Delta TechOps. Delta offers a range of cabin products for different customer segments, including premium business-class service on long-haul routes and tiered economy offerings on domestic and international flights, and it markets customer loyalty benefits through the SkyMiles frequent-flyer program.
The carrier operates a mixed fleet of narrow- and wide-body aircraft from multiple U.S.
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